Opinion: Manchester United can challenge for the title if they sign this Dutch star

Manchester United have done a lot of things right under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and their win against PSG showed how much potential lies within the squad.

It must be noted that Solskjaer hasn’t changed much in terms of tactics. Of course, there have been tweaks to get the better out of certain players, but his man-management must be lauded.

It remains to be seen whether the Norwegian will be given the job on a permanent basis come the summer, but considering everything the team have achieved, he deserves the job.

Irrespective of who is named manager in the summer, the club simply have to spend money to sign a new central defender.

One player who has taken his game to a whole new level this season is Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.

The Dutch centre-half had a brilliant start to his Ajax career and his popularity sore after his consistent displays with the Dutch national side in the UEFA League of Nations.

However, clubs started to take notice after his displays in the Champions League in particular.

Manchester United have spent quite a lot of money to sign players in several positions in a bid to challenge for the league title once again, but the quality of their centre-halves hasn’t allowed them to keep up with the top teams.

De Ligt has been linked with several top European sides, including Barcelona, and Manchester United will have to spend good money to sign him. But why?

Despite his age, De Ligt has already played in some massive games for Ajax. The Europa League final, for one, was a big occasion as he became the youngest player to feature in a European final at the age of 17 years and 285 days.

Technically strong, De Ligt can play the ball out from the back and has been moulded to play the game aesthetically, as the Ajax academy doesn’t teach you to ping the ball up top.

Although his age makes you think he isn’t a physical player, De Ligt stands at 188 cms and is a fairly tall centre-half. He can be aggressive when needed, as he showed in the Champions League against Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema, so he certainly can cut it in the Premier League.

De Ligt might eventually turn out to be as good as another Dutch centre-half Virgil Van Dijk who is in the running to pick up the PFA player of the year away because of his performances, so Manchester United need to ensure they sign De Ligt, and put themselves in the best possible condition to challenge for the league title next season.